Day 38

Last night before our pizza party Sasha came down to the kitchen, not feeling so well. Her fever was 104 degrees (she has been sick for the last couple of days), and so we took her to a clinic to be seen. The first one we stopped at was nearby, but the doctor wasn’t home, so we went to a clinic in Obera. We were seen quickly, and Sash got a bunch of meds: a cortisone shot, some antibiotics, and some painkillers. All tolled, her visit cost 60 pesos ($15) plus 111 pesos for all of her meds- so cheap! It was awesome. And we got home in time for pizza at 8. After having our fill of pizza, sangria, lemoncello, and cake (Jess and I made the cake! It was a coffee cake with chocolate chips mixed in, roselle jam on top, covered in cocoa crumble… it was awesome!), we all stayed up late into the night singing and playing music around the campfire. A truly fantastic night.

So, when this morning came I was slower to motivate, and decided to wait for everyone else.

Here's a view from the walk up our driveway. You can see how different the vibrance of the jungle is here from the pine forests they are clear cutting for lumber.Scissor tails from the bus stop:

We made it up to the bus stop by 10:30, and discovered about ½ hour later that the next bus wasn’t arriving until 12:30 or 1pm… so, we decided to walk towards town and hitch hike if we could thumb a ride.

We came across this guy, but he didn't have any extra room for passengers...
The hooties were trying to convince him, but he wasn't open for discussion.

Just before we reached Villa Bonita an 18 wheeler picked us up. The man driving had the 5 of us pile into the cab with him, and we talked all the way to Obera about his job (he is from Buenos Aires and does this 16-hour trip often), his family, the fact that he drinks coffee and not maté (did you know that Argentina is the second highest maté consumer in the world?... behind Paraguay or Uruguay… everyone here drinks it, it seems. It’s fun to ride the bus and see passengers sharing with the ticket taker. Maté is a tradition here that runs deep, and people take their time to enjoy it.).

It was fun to see the route to town from up high- I got a whole new and different perspective!

I spent the day in town at Esso, blogging and emailing. Tomorrow I hope to stay at the farm- the first (and probably only) day I will just stay put on a day off. I’m tired, and excited to have some open time to work on art projects! Marisa is going to teach us how to make macramé owls… hoot!I’m also hoping to carve a ladel, do some reading, and continue some other projects that are in-the-works.

Jo, looking remarkably like this bush...

I left town late, in time to catch the last bus home, but barely. I took a new route to the bus station, and ended up having to run the last few blocks to get there in time. I did manage to stop and pick up some fallen guava though, and I got to the station with enough time to spare that a teacher on her way to Posadas struck up a conversation with me about her life, teaching, what I was doing in Argentina. She asked if I was from Brazil… I think that might be a compliment. Maybe my Spanish is better than I think it is! I was dropped off in the dark, and donned my headlamp before beginning the long trek down the driveway. In the dark and by myself, the walk home seems much longer, and I watched the thin thumbnail moon sliver in the sky as clouds passed it. A lightning storm ahead came upon me as I wound down into the valley, and thunder boomed overhead… but it did not rain. It was so dark, and I was thankful that my head lamp batteries held their charge. I sang a Marisa taught us the other night out loud and in my head in order to keep from thinking about being nervous (Tierra mi cuerpo, agua mi sangre, aire mi aliento, y fuego mi espiritu… which means earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, and fire my spirit). And I ate two of the three guavas I had picked up because they had gotten completely squished on the way home(… the other I shared when I arrived). When I opened the gate the dogs started their doorbell call, and I heard someone yell “Hannah?” and everyone cheered when I replied. Gosh, it’s good to be home! I’m looking forward to a day of relaxation tomorrow.